Just cobbled these together (lol) from 1/4" neoprene rubber and 550 cord. A barefoot running friend is schooling me in their use but I'll be spending the next few weeks running on the grass at a nearby junior college football field so I can strengthen up my feet. I've had a couple bad bouts with Achilles Tendinitis so I'm not going to rush things.

Have you tried running for extended periods yet? I've considered some type of barefoot running, but I often get really bad blisters by the cords in that type of sandal.
If you don't get blisters, I'd be really keen to hear about it.

4/10/2011 2:44am,

Jim_Jude

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colin

Have you tried running for extended periods yet? I've considered some type of barefoot running, but I often get really bad blisters by the cords in that type of sandal.
If you don't get blisters, I'd be really keen to hear about it.

I've just worn them around today. I just made them. I thought I said that.

4/10/2011 3:01am,

Colin

Sorry, I should have articulated my question better.
I thought that you may have made your own because you had unsatisfactory experiences with commercial ones?
Also, I wondered if you ran around today. I realise you mentioned tendonitis, but I didn't automatically assume that you hadn't trained in them just because you made them today.

4/10/2011 2:59pm,

Carpe Noctem

Jim,

I run in a pair of my own huaraches somewhat regularly. I used some 5mm conveyor belt material in lieu of neoprene. Farthest I've run in them is 6.5 miles. I can't stress enough taking it slow with those. I've found that you don't have to shy away from hard surfaces despite the lack of padding, most of my runs are on concrete, asphalt or hard-packed dirt.

The main thing with huaraches is getting the laces tightened just right for you. That's more of an art and needs to be experimented with. For example, the only lace that works for me right now is the traditional Tarahumara-style wrap that goes up over the lower leg. Looks odd nowadays but works awesome. :)

Looks like you've done a good job of them so far. Let us know how the neoprene holds up; you may want to also try the baler belt material (available at large farm stores) or getting sheets of Vibram material to work with.

Happy running. ;)

4/10/2011 5:36pm,

Jim_Jude

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colin

Sorry, I should have articulated my question better.
I thought that you may have made your own because you had unsatisfactory experiences with commercial ones?
Also, I wondered if you ran around today. I realise you mentioned tendonitis, but I didn't automatically assume that you hadn't trained in them just because you made them today.

Oh. Okay. No, my buddy is helping me train up my feet & the new stride so hopefully we can run a 10k together this summer wearing the huaraches. I don't want any tendinitis to cut into training. Or my martial arts practice. Or limping around campus.
Man, that kind of tendinitis can really cut into your activities.

4/10/2011 9:58pm,

Jim_Jude

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carpe Noctem

Jim,
I run in a pair of my own huaraches somewhat regularly. I used some 5mm conveyor belt material in lieu of neoprene. Farthest I've run in them is 6.5 miles. I can't stress enough taking it slow with those. I've found that you don't have to shy away from hard surfaces despite the lack of padding, most of my runs are on concrete, asphalt or hard-packed dirt.

Does the conveyor belt have a texture to it? The neoprene I used has no texture, I took a wire brush to it (lightly) to give it some texture.

Quote:

The main thing with huaraches is getting the laces tightened just right for you. That's more of an art and needs to be experimented with. For example, the only lace that works for me right now is the traditional Tarahumara-style wrap that goes up over the lower leg. Looks odd nowadays but works awesome. :)

I tried them both and I agree, the traditional was a little more comfortable but for convenience sake I'm using the slip-on version right now. I did conserve enough length to be able to use either, tho.
I do like the traditional design, when I first saw it I wondered why the hell they had so much material wrapped around the ankle, like a couple feet, but then once I constructed a pair I saw that if any particular portion of the cord in contact with the ground were to break, there would be more than enough cordage to replace it within a couple minutes. Short of the sole blowing a hole requiring a hole punch of some sort which I suppose they could keep in a pocket, they actually carry a basic repair kit wrapped around their ankle!

Quote:

Looks like you've done a good job of them so far. Let us know how the neoprene holds up; you may want to also try the baler belt material (available at large farm stores) or getting sheets of Vibram material to work with.

Happy running. ;)

Thanks for the tip ^_^

4/11/2011 12:50am,

Carpe Noctem

Jim,

The baler belt material has a very slight texture to it. Not much, though. Not enough to count as "traction", anyway. I've never really had any traction issues though, as they're flexible enough for my toes to get some grip. I also trim the front of mine down so that the tips of my toes are about flush with the front of the sandal. This keeps the front from "flapping" too much and scooping up dirt or pebbles. I may try using a razor to sipe the bottoms a bit, see if I can't get any extra purchase out of them. They also seem to be a fairly good indicator of form; before I had my form dialled in they'd make a flappityslappity noise on the pavement. Nowadays, not so much. Quite a bit quieter.

Ran today, couple miles after being a deadass for too long. Did my first mile wearing my Fivefingers, then took them off and ran back barefoot. Form was pretty good, only one small blister over some pretty rough asphalt.